Criminology

By:

Paige Heinrich, a graduating Senior in Criminology presents her senior thesis research, titled "Comparing the Perceived Offender-Victim Relationship in Terms of Race/Ethnicity and Gender to the Participants Race/Ethnicity and Gender".

The literature suggests that several different factors contribute to the perceived relationship of an offender and a victim in terms of gender and race/ethnicity. One important factor is the media influence on perceptions. Heinrich's study explores perceptions between an offender’s race/ethnicity and gender and his/her victim’s race/ethnicity and gender. Subjects include students at the College of Mount St. Joseph. Subjects read two uncommon demographically neutral cases and answered questions about their perceptions of the race and gender of the offender and the victim. Heinrich hypothesized that the perceived offender-victim relationship amongst students at the College of Mount St. Joseph will be affected by their own gender and race/ethnicity.

Stewart's study explores the contextual factors of neighborhoods where police often respond to mental health crisis cases and determines if there are significant factors of social disorganization that may be relevant for decision-makers. Using geospatial and multi-level analysis, this study 1) describes the spatial distribution of mental health crisis cases requiring police intervention, 2) describes the proximity of police response locations to subjects’ residences, and 3) explores whether there is a relationship between spatial distributions of disturbance calls with factors of social disorganization. Results suggest that a high percentage of police interventions occur at subjects residences rather than in public spaces and that factors of unemployment, family disruption, and residential mobility are associated with mental health crisis cases requiring police intervention.

The Ohio Council of Criminal Justice Education

The Council's mission is to promote education and research in the administration of criminal justice and to facilitate communication and cooperation with practitioners on the matters of mutual interest concerning education in criminal justice.

OCCJE serves to bring together criminal justice educators and practitioners to facilitate cooperation and to promote the expansion of professional criminal justice education, its subsequent application to the field, and to actively engage in the elevation of the ethical and personnel standards of the criminal justice field.